Nvidia or AMD? HD6950 or GTX 560 ti?

[momosmokey]

I'm going to be getting some money doing yard work for my family; I'm 16 so it's not so easy for me to get a "job." Anyway, I want to get myself a graphics card. And being who I am, I don't want something low-end. I may not be able to afford an HD 6990 or GTX 580, but I'm willing to splurge on an HD6950 or 560 ti. I'm looking at spending around $300. At that price though, it better be impressive.

 

These are a number of HD 6950's and GTX 560 ti's I've been looking at:

SAPPHIRE 100312-3SR Radeon HD 6950 Dirt3 Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

MSI R6950 Twin Frozr II OC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

 

ASUS EAH6950 DCII/2DI4S/2GD5 Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

 

MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

ASUS ENGTX560 TI DCII TOP/2DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

 

MSI R6950 Twin Frozr III PE/OC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II Golden Edition GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

 

MSI N560GTX-Ti Hawk GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

I've pondered whether I should get a stock HD 6950, so I could unlock it. The only problem with that is the noise the stock cooling makes and the limited overclocking ability. I'm considering simply buying the best card I can for overclocking.

I haven't done too much research on the GTX 560 ti's. I've heard the HD 6950's beat them in raw power though. I'm also seen statistics that the GTX 560 ti's perform better (FPS) in most games over the HD 6950.

 

So I come to you all for advice, I look forward to your replies.

Edited July 9, 2011 by xxmastermushxx

[red1776]

Hi XX

The 6950 will outrun the 560Ti in most titles when comparing comparable cards ( OC edition to OC edition, and standard to standard etc)

here is a review you can check out

http://www.guru3d.com/article/msi-geforce-gtx-560-ti-hawk-review/1

 

 

 

**note the 560 Ti being reviewed here is the heavily OC'ed MSI 'Hawk' edition. (822Mhz vs 950Mhz core & 4008Mhz vs 4200Mhz mem) I have found these numbers to be very close to my experience with these cards for customer builds. For the $$ you are willing to spend, and if you are gaming at higher resolutions (2560 x 1600 and up) I would invest in a 6950 2GB model.

I highly recommend either the Asus EAH DC, or the MSI models. I was convinced before, and have since read that they get the ' pick of the bin'. the build quality, VRM, and OC'ing abilities are fantastic and superior to other brands. You may want to condiser weather power consumption, PhysX,eyfinity, Noise, etc are important factors as well.

 

here is another, again this is the heavily OC'ed MSI Hawk edition VS a standard HD 6950

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/04/25/msi_n560gtxti_hawk_video_card_review/1

 

Hope that helps.

Edited July 9, 2011 by red1776

[mattyamdfanboi]

i agree with red... while the 560ti is an awesome card in its own right.. the 6950 performs better.. and with more ram.. gives u better leeway for higher resolutions

[Nyt]

6950 definately . But do not get the 6950 DCII , a waste of space and money IMO . I had a GTX580 DCII .

 

1.) Do you have Dirt 3 already ? Then go for this one : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814127575&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=4011352&SID=skim3031X597717X2be6ed944bde17e75509b734b08e4c51

2.) If you dont have Dirt 3 then you should maybe go for this one : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814102945&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=4011352&SID=skim3031X597717Xab57fff6f334912729eaeeec65f82d68

 

The Twin Frozr III is the best cooler on the market ATM . For $280 and free shipping the 6950 TFIII (it has the clocks of close to a 6970) is easily the best out of all the ones you listed.

And it will oc high and stay quiet (I assumed you would be oc'ing the 6950 )

 

The GTX560 overclocked just matches a stock 6950 while the 6950 has double the memory .

[IVIYTH0S]

The 560Ti is slightly cheaper and the 6950 is slightly stronger. Your move lol

[red1776]

But do not get the 6950 DCII , a waste of space and money IMO . I had a GTX580 DCII .

 

****** hey Nyt,

I was speaking of the AMD versions of the DCII, ASUS and MSI are apparently 'preferred' partners and get the higher binned silicon. I finally read that a couple weeks ago, and that has been my experience that they OC higher, and take less voltage to get there.

[Nyt]

****** hey Nyt,

I was speaking of the AMD versions of the DCII, ASUS and MSI are apparently 'preferred' partners and get the higher binned silicon. I finally read that a couple weeks ago, and that has been my experience that they OC higher, and take less voltage to get there.

 

Theres always rumours of some being "binned" higher . But the triple slot cooler basically cuts out crossfire/sli capability and provides the same cooling as the MSI Twin Frozr 2 cooler.

The MSI 6950 Twin Frozr 3 is the best as you get the benefits of higher "binning" and the cooling is better .

 

I couldn't even reach 950mhz and 2350mhz on my DCII next to my EVGA at 970mhz and 2400mhz due to temps (DCII vents in-case) while I can now reach 1000mhz and 2470mhz on both.

 

BTW we need to still finish that duel of ours My 2600k should give me some advantage .

[Rofltroll]

Give this a read:

 

http://www.guru3d.com/article/msi-geforce-gtx-560-ti-hawk-review/1

[red1776]

Aye, but I think they both do actually get the pick of the bin. yeah triple slot sucks for future considerations. I like (and use) the Asus and MSI almost exclusively.

 

Give this a read:http://www.guru3d.co...i-hawk-review/1

(thats the same review I linked him to Rof.....

 

When did you get the 2600K?....

I rebuilt as well, but am using an 1100T as a placeholder for BD....

 

Lets see....a 5Ghz i2600K vs a 4.3Ghz 1100T....yeah...this should be close

 

oh well, c'est la vie

Edited July 9, 2011 by red1776

[Black64]

I would go with the 6950.

[dihartnell]

If you are gaming at resolutions 1920x1080 or lower then I would go with this. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125385

 

I run mine at 930 Core and 1400 Mem. Its a long card though so not sur eif will fit in your case.

[momosmokey]

Wow! Thanks for all the replies.

 

red1776: "Hi XX The 6950 will outrun the 560Ti in most titles when comparing comparable cards ( OC edition to OC edition, and standard to standard etc)

here is a review you can check out

http://www.guru3d.co...i-hawk-review/1

 

 

 

**note the 560 Ti being reviewed here is the heavily OC'ed MSI 'Hawk' edition. (822Mhz vs 950Mhz core & 4008Mhz vs 4200Mhz mem) I have found these numbers to be very close to my experience with these cards for customer builds. For the $ you are willing to spend, and if you are gaming at higher resolutions (2560 x 1600 and up) I would invest in a 6950 2GB model.

I highly recommend either the Asus EAH DC, or the MSI models. I was convinced before, and have since read that they get the ' pick of the bin'. the build quality, VRM, and OC'ing abilities are fantastic and superior to other brands. You may want to condiser weather power consumption, PhysX,eyfinity, Noise, etc are important factors as well.

 

here is another, again this is the heavily OC'ed MSI Hawk edition VS a standard HD 6950

http://www.hardocp.c...o_card_review/1

 

Hope that helps."

 

@red1776 Thanks for the links; you've cleared my mind about the Nvidia cards.

 

I do like the MSI Frozr III edition and the ASUS EAH6950 DCII ( 3 PCIe slot card). What I'm really seeking is a card that will last me at least a couple of years. I will more than likely not crossfire; so I don't care if the card takes 3 PCIe slots. My motherboard only supports 1 card = 16x or 2 cards = 4x and 16x. I don't want to spend another $300 for something that's not going to perform at its max capability. At least, that's what I've gathered from my research.

EDIT: Also, I won't be getting into eyefinity.

As for Nvidia's Physx, I was thinking of getting a low end Nvidia card. Something like the GT240? I could then use the Hybrid Physx Mod (LINK) to run both the HD 6950 as the main rendering card and the Nvidia card for the Physx rendering. Depending how desperately I want Physx at that point.

 

Nyt Ryda: "6950 definately . But do not get the 6950 DCII , a waste of space and money IMO . I had a GTX580 DCII .

1.) Do you have Dirt 3 already ? Then go for this one : http://www.newegg.co...509b734b08e4c51

2.) If you dont have Dirt 3 then you should maybe go for this one : http://www.newegg.co...9eaeeec65f82d68

 

The Twin Frozr III is the best cooler on the market ATM . For $280 and free shipping the 6950 TFIII (it has the clocks of close to a 6970) is easily the best out of all the ones you listed.

And it will oc high and stay quiet (I assumed you would be oc'ing the 6950)

 

The GTX560 overclocked just matches a stock 6950 while the 6950 has double the memory."

@Nyt Ryda I don't want a game to be the deciding factor for a graphics card that costs the same as my entire Xbox 360.

 

I want something that will last; the MSI Twin Frozr III edition is definitely one of the cards at the top of my list, along with the ASUS EAH6950 DCII ( 3 PCIe slots). I don't care about the size, as I told red1776, my motherboard supports crossfire with X4 and X16 or so I've observed from research. If it was X8 and X8 I might think about it some more, but...

 

I'll focus on the MSI Frozr III edition and ASUS EAH6950 DCII; leaving out the Dirt 3 Edition because it's cooling system probably isn't in the same league as MSI and ASUS.

 

Nyt Ryda: "Theres always rumours of some being "binned" higher . But the triple slot cooler basically cuts out crossfire/sli capability and provides the same cooling as the MSI Twin Frozr 2 cooler.The MSI 6950 Twin Frozr 3 is the best as you get the benefits of higher "binning" and the cooling is better."

 

So do you think the MSI Frozr III will overclock better than the ASUS EAH6950 DCII? And yes, I will definitely be overclocking.

 

You also said this: "I couldn't even reach 950mhz and 2350mhz on my DCII next to my EVGA at 970mhz and 2400mhz due to temps (DCII vents in-case) while I can now reach 1000mhz and 2470mhz on both."

 

By "both" do you mean the MSI TFIII and the EVGA or...?

 

I'm leaning towards the MSI HD6950 TFIII right now; mainly for it's size, overclocking capabilities, and low noise level.

 

Thanks for all the replies, very helpful.

Edited July 9, 2011 by xxmastermushxx